Handbrake drifting requires that a turn be entered too quickly or be taken too sharply. Trying to use the hand-brake if you’re at too low of a speed is simply going to result in the car losing its momentum. It is the perfect way to start a high-speed drift. In normal driving this is a terrible result, but in a drift car it is exactly what you want. The handbrake starts a drift by suddenly locking the tires, allowing the rear to slide violently around. However, more advanced drifters will want to begin using the hand-brake. This simple form of turn-in drifting is the easiest way to drift, and it is good enough to win most of the drift events in the game. Find the point of the throttle which keeps the car moving smoothly around the corner and you’ll do fine. If you reapply the throttle and do so too quickly, the car will spin, ending the drift. But be gentle! If you lift off too much the car will likely straight out, ending the drift. If the car is beginning to turn too sharply, let off the throttle. Instead, press down the throttle to keep the drift going. Making constant course corrections during a turn in drift mode isn’t a good idea. The reason for this is that unlike in race mode, steering in drift mode is as much about the throttle as it is about the steering wheel. You’ll likely spin out your first few times. Then accelerate smoothly down the next straight.ĭid you spin out? Don’t worry. Control the slide with the throttle and the wheel and hold it until you’re at the other end of the turn. Go in wide and a little too fast, then turn in while applying moderate throttle. Remember, this isn’t a race.Īpproach the first turn at the pace your normally would when racing, but don’t stomp on the brakes. When the green is given, accelerate smoothly. If you stomp on the pedal, you’re going to go all over the place. Although you’ve made no modifications to your car, cars in drift mode are automatically fitted with super-slick drift tires. The first thing you must get used to is the lack of traction drift cars have. Quick drift mode is a much better playground for learning to drift than the first drift challenges. You can also smooth your first steps as a drifter by picking a relatively easy tier 1 car, like a 350Z or RX-8, and going into quick drift mode. Keep the braking assists off, but the other assists should be on. It can take some soothing of the ego, but I highly suggest that new drifters switch the driving model to a less difficult mode. When I dove into drifting, however, I found that getting a handle on things with the difficulty settings I was used to was impossible. I find it to be a more fun and engaging experience. As a race driver, I typically play Shift with all the assists off.
There is very little about the normal racing mode of Shift which carries over to the Drift challenges. This brief guide will help new drifters get on their feet. It requires skills which are completely different than those which are used in the normal racing mode. Drifting in Shift is not an easy thing to do.
Those who have played arcade racers in the past will probably fly head-first into these events, and then into a wall a short time thereafter. Drifting events become available in tier 2 of Need for Speed: Shift.